The Journey North
by Ida Clair
Summary: Basicaly this started with me joking around in English class and my friends forced me to write a fanfic. It's what happens when the creature reaches the top of the world. He meets a very suprising person who changes his plans of suicide.
1. Chapter 1

It had been days, weeks, perhaps months since he had left the terrible ship. His last view of humanity ever. His dead creator at his feet—it was his fault. But now wasn't the time to think of that. Now wasn't the time to think. The cold made that impossible. The cold that made his yellow skin want to split. It was nearly unbearable—even for a monster like him who hardly could feel the sensation of cold. A mere human would have frozen long ago and not had to suffer any longer. But he was still here. It was punishment. Punishment for his unspeakable deeds. He refused to think of those. He tried not to think. It was easy. He tried not to feel. All he felt was cold—and guilt. It weighed him down, heavier than the ice. But thinking about why he was guiltily made it worse. He was sorry, inexpressibly sorry. But now the only one to grant him forgiveness was gone. Dead. It was his fault.


	2. Chapter 2

He had slowed. Barely able to move forward when something strange happened. Lights far off in the distance danced against the sky. The monster stared at them and thought with the little power left in his mind. These lights were different than any other lights he had seen on the icy tundra. Ribbons of light had swum across the sky for many weeks and an occasional star fell from the unreachable heavens above but these were nothing like that. They glowed gold and seemed full of life beyond mere torches or candles. There was something more to the light—a glint. It had an indescribable quality that none of the words the monster knew could describe. He was drawn to the light. He had to get there. He had to hurry.

The creature walked with incredible speed from his new motivation. He crossed the miles to the light and paused as it became clear before him. Cautiously he slowly approached the strange sight before him and knelt down to see better. A large pole with red and white stripes stood in the center of a section of packed snow. Atop the post was an orb larger than his own head that held a swirling glow that illuminated all around with its living light. Smaller versions stood in a circle around the central pole creating an outline for the clearing. His transfixed wonder was distracted for a moment when movement caught his eye. He turned his eye and saw a large animal. Large antlers adorned its head. A deer thought the monster. He began to turn back to the captivating light when something spectacular happened. The animal started to prance and leap off the ground. It continued walking though the air. It was flying like a bird!

A hand rested on the monster's shoulder. He turned. A human this far north? A round man stood behind him dressed in a crimson robe. The same twinkle sparked in his eyes. An enormously sincere smile stretched across his rosy face. No fear? Impossible thought the beast.


	3. Chapter 3

The man began to speak.

"Let's go inside and warm up. It's awfully chilly outside today—even for me." He chuckled and turned to lead the way. The monster followed with a million questions flowing through his mind. Who was this man? How did the deer fly? Had he gone insane—lost his mind? Perhaps he was dying?

The man turned and said, "There will be plenty of time for your questions to be answered. Now is not the time." As he said this he approached the large pole and touched a well camouflaged button. Instantly the pole moved upward revealing a door way with a long spiral stair case below. The man motioned for the creature to follow and follow he did.

The winding stair case led to a world unlike the bareness above. Heat rushed and the creature and he began to feel warm for the first time since he had left the side of his creator. Lights twinkled around him and the air had something—something swift about it (the creature would later learn that the whole place was filled with magic and that was the indescribable quality of the air). When he reached the bottom of the stair he looked around. Before him was a large, expansive cavern that appeared to be carved out of the ice. It was like an underground igloo but warmer. So warm in fact that the creature was puzzled by it: the walls and ceiling should be melting but they stood firm and solid despite the temperature. The man continued to lead him into one of the half a dozen buildings in view. It was a descent size cottage. It appeared to have two stories and was painted in bright, cheery colors. The windows were round—not square—which gave the structure a whimsical feel. Curling smoke rose from the chimney and with it an aroma unlike anything the beast had sensed before.

The man opened the door and called out to an unseen body as he led the monster inside.

"He's here Darling. Come out and meet our new guest."

The Creature had just a moment to take in the quaint furniture of the living room before a round woman bustled in from what looked to be the kitchen. With her came the same smell of the chimney. The woman was older, about the same age as the man, she had curling white hair that fitted her round face. Round glasses sat on the end of her cherry nose, and her cheeks were rosy after being in front of a stove all day. She wore a red dress with tiny white dots and white trim on the sleeves and collar. Around her waist a white apron was tied.

"Oh you're here!," She cried with delight. "We have been waiting so long. And after all you've been through," She added with slight sadness in her voice. "Well where are my manners! You must be simply starving!"

The monster wondered how they could have possibly known he was coming or about what had happened to him, but the woman immediately began to feed him so his thoughts did not have much time to dwell on his now countless questions.

She brought him to the kitchen where she placed a roast goose before him. Before the meal was through he had most of the goose, a batch of sugar cookies and nearly a jug of milk. His hunger subsided, he now sat out to get answers to his questions.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well let me begin by introducing my self. I have many names, many call me Santa Claus but my friends call me Nick. I hope that we will become friends. This is my wife, Mrs. Claus," he said with a little flourish and she gave a youthful courtesy.

"Now where to begin? Well perhaps you would like to know how I know about you?" He said with a chuckle that filled the whole room, "I can see every person on this earth at all times. I try to scan over everyone every once in a while, but when people take actions that are either immensely good or actions that are unkind or hurt others I am immediately drawn to them. A few years ago as I was out in my work shop I felt something terrible was happening. I shut my eyes and focused. I could see into an old grave yard where your creator, the young Mr. Frankenstein was digging up a freshly buried corps. It was a gruesome mess and I was appalled. What struck me as odd is that he did take the jewelry off the body like a normal grave robber. Instead he took the body. From this point my interest was drawn and I watched him very often. I saw terrible things. But in the end he created life—you."

"I watched as you became aware of the world and the horrible cowardice of the man who should have loved you as a son. My heart broke as he abandoned you with no knowledge of the world."

"I saw that you had a good heart. You loved the family that you learned to speak from. Everyday you knowledge grew and so did your desire to do good, but your looks prevented others from seeing you."

"I watched as you abandoned your desire for good. You turned down the wrong path, did terrible things. But how could you do differently? You had no friends, no one to teach you good. But that is behind you. We will speak of it no more."

"I have seen you the past few months. You left the side of your creator broken. You had given up on life. Yet you were led to me. You are here to turn around and begin on the path of good. On your journey north you had seen the error of your ways. Let go of the guilt and anger and live again," Nick ended passionately.

The monster was speechless. All the time he had wished for someone to understand him. Someone to see past his features into his soul. It appeared the whole time someone had. Someone understood him. And that someone wasn't repulsed in fear. Hope sprung up within him. He had a friend.

The monster and Nick spoke for the next few hours by the fire place. By the end the creature understood what Nick did at the North Pole. He was able to let go of the past and move forward.

"I don't think that normal humans will ever accept you. They are far too petty and judgmental. Life in society will always be painful, however, there is an extra room upstairs and I could use help. I have quite a large job to do and it becomes more difficult every year. Would you like to stay here with us?" Nick looked hopefully to the creature.

A huge smile broke across his face. He would love to stay with his new friends. "Of course! I would love to," he replied.

"Well since you are beginning a new life here I believe you need something that was never given to you."

"What could that be?" wondered the monster.

"You need a name. Now I have thought long and hard about this. From this day forth you shall be know as George," declared Nick.

"George, I like that," George smiled.


	5. Epilogue

From then on George worked with Santa at the North Pole. He learned how to care for the Reindeer, prepare the sleigh for Christmas Eve and, most importantly, make toys for all the good little boys and girls of the world. George learned to forgive his creator and was completely happy.

Decades passed by but no signs of age appeared on George. It seemed that being reanimated had given him immortality just like the Clauses. So there he remains to this day, building the toys and making sure the North Pole runs properly. While some say that small elves caped in green are responsible for the magic of Christmas, Santa's real helper is George, Frankenstein's Monster.


End file.
